


Ricollegare

by CactusPot



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Chance Meetings, Friendship, Gen, Post-Canon, Reunions, TDWritersLoveandFriendshipWeek21, set about three years after the end of the series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29320419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CactusPot/pseuds/CactusPot
Summary: “Gwen? Gwen!”Huh?Her phone dropped to her lap. She looked up and blinked once. Twice. She must’ve been hallucinating.Gwen shot to her feet. “DJ?” she said incredulously.Yeah, that was him alright. He waved amiably as he drew closer. “Long time no see!”~~Written for TD Love and Friendship Week 2021
Relationships: Devon "DJ" Joseph & Gwen
Kudos: 6





	Ricollegare

After bidding ‘addio’ to the museum, Gwen parked herself on a bench right outside its entrance. A canopy of trees shielded her from the cheerful Italian sunshine, which was perfect because she’d worn a black sundress despite the warm weather. She’d always been a sucker for black.

Gwen scrolled through her camera roll, double-checking the photos she’d taken. The Capitoline Museums housed a ton of gorgeous artwork; she would’ve stayed there all day if not for the hunger that was slowly creeping into her stomach.

 _Oooh, Zoey will love this one_. Gwen forwarded a photo of one particularly vibrant portrait to her best friend. British Columbia was nine hours behind Italy, so Zoey was asleep. Still, Gwen knew she’d appreciate waking up to some pretty artwork.

She wasn’t ready to move just yet. Gwen sorted through a few more photos. One went to Bridgette, one to Cameron, one to her mother, and one to her former college roommate.

As she agonized over cropping an image, her stomach grumbled ominously. _Chill out, stomach. Just two more seconds and then_ —

“Gwen? Gwen!”

 _Huh_?

Her phone dropped to her lap. She looked up and blinked once. Twice. She must’ve been hallucinating.

Gwen shot to her feet. “DJ?” she said incredulously.

Yeah, that was him alright. He waved amiably as he drew closer. “Long time no see!”

It took Gwen a moment to process what she was seeing: a fellow Total Drama veteran in the flesh. He’d traded his olive-green shirt for a hoodie of a similar hue. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, and he’d trimmed his beard just enough for her to notice a difference. One thing that hadn’t changed: his height. DJ still towered over her, just as he had when they’d met six summers ago.

“What are you doing here?” Gwen’s question was punctuated by another stomach rumble. Need. Food. Otherwise, she’d go zombie-mode. “Actually, can we walk and talk? I’m _starving_.”

Something about Total Drama necessitated a reunion. If Gwen had run into a high school peer, _heck_ , even a college comrade, she would’ve waved cordially and continued on with her day. But she and DJ had survived three seasons of _Chris McLean_ together. That warranted a full-on catch-up lunch.

Their walk took them further into Rome. The streets bustled with locals and tourists alike. While she scouted for a restaurant, any restaurant, Gwen listened to DJ’s explanation. “A few days ago, Bridgette mentioned to Geoff that you were visiting Italy. Geoff mentioned it to _me_ , since he knew I was here already.

“Then a few hours ago Geoff texted saying you’d be at the Capitoline today. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to come down here and say hello.”

Gwen chuckled. “You could’ve texted me beforehand.” Like those of so many others, his number was currently collecting dust in her contacts.

His warm laughter took her mind off her starving stomach for a brief moment. “Geoff insisted that if we _did_ meet up, it should be a surprise.” He did the Shaka sign. “Totally tubular, y’know?”

“That’s Geoff for you.” Gwen returned his Shaka sign with one of her own. Though she frequently heard about Geoff’s exploits through the grapevine that was Bridgette, Gwen hadn’t talked to him personally in a while. She missed him.

They located a tiny corner cafè. Gwen would’ve preferred to go inside where it was dark and cool, but DJ was clearly enjoying the sunshine, so they picked a table outside. Gwen situated herself underneath the restaurant’s green awning so she wouldn’t burn to a crisp.

“Oh, before I forget.” DJ snapped his fingers. “I like what you’ve done with your hair. It suits you.”

Gwen brought her fingers to her fringe. She’d switched from turquoise to electric chartreuse right before graduation three months ago. “Thanks, Deej.”

“Of course.”

“So. What brings you to Rome?” Gwen adjusted her seat so it was closer to the table.

“My aunt and uncle left Jamaica and moved here a few years back. Came out this summer to visit them.”

“Moved from Jamaica to Italy? That’s so random.” Not that she could blame DJ’s family; she’d only been here a few days and was already certain Italy was one of the prettiest places on Earth.

“Cookin’ runs in the family, and my Aunt Cedalla loves Italian cuisine. It’s a long story, but one thing led to another, and now they’re here,” DJ summarized. “What about you? Geoff said Bridgette said this was a school trip…?”

“Sorta.” Leave it to Geoff to misconstrue the whole thing. “It’s more of a graduation present to myself.”

“Nice! Congrats on the degree.”

“Thanks.” As a teenager, she hadn’t anticipated her college career going so well. Even though she hadn’t won the show, Total Drama had given her exposure, and exposure meant opportunities for cash. That had taken a load of pressure off her hard-working single mother. After tuition was more or less taken care of, Gwen had started saving for her personal trip to Europe. 

“So lemme ask: why Italy? That’s so random.” DJ’s smirk was soft around the edges. Duncan’s had been sharp, as was her own. Even Zoey’s smirks held some bite. But with DJ, it was like getting teased by a giant teddy bear. Even if the ‘giant teddy bear’ comparison was _such_ a clichè at this point.

“The art,” Gwen answered automatically. “That, and Chris didn’t drag us to Italy during World Tour.” Not that he hadn’t tried. She’d make it back to the Louvre or the Parthenon eventually. But for now, she had other, novel sights to explore.

The waitress arrived to take their appetizer request. They agreed to split a platter of mozzarella sticks, though Gwen gave DJ fair warning: she was an Owen-like force to be reckoned with when she was starving.

While they waited, Gwen unlocked her phone and gave DJ a virtual tour of the museum. He leaned in, invested as she swiped through photos of paintings, sculptures, and architecture. Already, her camera roll was longer than Stephen King’s biography; hopefully, she wouldn’t run out of storage by the end of her trip.

DJ, for his part, was interested in what she had to share. He was definitely not an art connoisseur, not the way she or Zoey was, but it was nice to know he could appreciate classical art, at least in passing. 

The mozzarella sticks arrived, and the waitress whisked their _portata principale_ orders back to the kitchen.

After eating five, Gwen dipped her sixth mozzarella stick into the sauce. She wiggled it in front of DJ’s face. “Look, Deej! Bloody finger!”

It was juvenile, yes, but it was funny.

“Hey!” he swatted it away, though the terror on his face wasn’t as dramatic as Gwen had anticipated. Apparently, he wasn’t terrified of bloody appendages anymore. Good to know.

They caught each other up on the past four years. DJ had gone to a small college close to home. That way, he could commute and continue helping Mama around the house. Gwen could relate to the sentiment, even if she had lived on campus, away from family.

“Who do you keep in touch with?” DJ asked before chomping on a mozzarella stick.

Gwen ticked names off on her tomato-sauce-stained fingers. “Heather, surprisingly. Bridgette, obviously. Leshawna. Noah and Cody text from time to time. Zoey and Cam, too. Have you met them?”

DJ made a face. “Yeaaaaah? I think I was too busy screaming in terror to give them much attention.”

“Oh, right. You made a guest appearance in season four, too.” Gwen lowered her voice to perform her best Chef imitation. “ _You signed the contract, now you must pay_!”

They laughed together.

“What about you?” Gwen asked. “I know you talk to Geoff, at least.”

“Mmmhmm. Geoff, Leshawna, Katie and Sadie, Lindsay, and Tyler.” He paused before mentioning a final name. “I’ve written a few letters to Duncan.”

Gwen’s gaze dropped to his plate. “Yeah, me too.”

When she’d started dating Duncan during World Tour, DJ had been gracious about everything. He’d ignored the ‘Gwen stole Courtney’s boyfriend’ thing in favor of the ‘my two good friends are dating’ thing. In retrospect, she wished he hadn’t. Maybe he—or anyone really—could’ve slapped some sense into her before she ruined a friendship.

“Zoey started a letter-writing campaign a few years back,” Gwen continued. “I wrote some. So did Jo, I think? Even Mike sent in some.”

“I bet Dunc appreciated them. He told me he gets out soon.”

“I never heard back.” Zoey and Jo had, though. And apparently, so had DJ. Gwen chalked up the nonresponse to her status as ‘ex-girlfriend that dumped Duncan on TV.’

“That’s tough.”

“It was a while ago.” Gwen brushed it off. While the memories pained her, and they also made genius inspiration for her artwork, they no longer dominated her life.

They moved on to topics of less consequence: new music they’d gotten into (not much in common there), their dating lives (both were single), their experiences in Italy so far.

“Y’know,” DJ said after swallowing a forkful of pasta. Their dishes had arrived; both had ordered generous helpings of ravioli. “Aunt Cedalla loves hosting guests, so you’re welcome to stop by and have dinner with us anytime. I know you probably have a busy sight-seeing schedule, but the offer’s always open.”

“ _Schedule_?” Gwen chuckled. “Who am I, Courtney? I’m playing it by ear. So yeah, I’d love to meet your family.”

They exchanged another shared smile. _Italy is full of surprises_ , Gwen thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I do ship DJ and Gwen. So while this particular story is strictly platonic, you could interpret it with romantic undertones if you wish.
> 
> Anyways, day one of TD Love and Friendship Week is Reconnection, so... here's DJ and Gwen reconnecting. :)


End file.
